


No matter the storm Romeo. (Through it all Juliet.)

by SqueegeeBecksXo



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, bughead - Freeform, varchie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 09:33:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13051299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SqueegeeBecksXo/pseuds/SqueegeeBecksXo
Summary: I know for sure it won't go this way, but I wanted to give my hope for how Betty and Jughead will come clean with each other after everything that happened. Their love is epic and it deserves an epic story. I hope you enjoy this one-shot.





	No matter the storm Romeo. (Through it all Juliet.)

Jughead sat in a booth at Pop's, his laptop in front of him, his fingers hovering over the keys. He had already read back his work a million times but still couldn't figure out how to go forward. This sentiment rang true for him not only in his writing, but in his life as well. How was he supposed to move forward after what he had done?

Interrupting his jumbled thoughts, Pop appeared next to him. "Jughead! You alright boy?"

"What? Oh, hey pops, whats up?" Shaking his head to break free from his thoughts he looked up at the familiar face.

"I been standing here for a minute boy, you sure are out of it. Now, I don't want to be over stepping my boundaries but just a few moments ago I saw this blonde girl, I think you know her, names Betty. Well she came in and went and sat alone and... she don't look to happy. Maybe you should go talk to her?" Pop gestured with the coffee pot to the other side of the diner behind Jug.

She was facing the opposite direction, but even so, Jughead could tell by the slouch of her shoulders something was wrong. "I don't know Pops."

"I didn't ask you if you knew. Go talk to her." Pops said with finality as he turned and walked away.

He hadn't seen Betty since the night after she and Archie discovered who the Black Hood was. He hadn't told her anything about what happened with Penny Peabody or anything else since before they broke up for that matter. He'd wanted to thank her for the Christmas gift she gave him, but couldn't find the right words. Nothing sounded right. The typewriter was more then he would have ever imagined and just thinking about it made him smile.

Figuring now was as good of a time as any, he walked over to her table.

"Hey stranger."

"Jughead. Hey." Betty looked up at him with bloodshot eyes shadowed by dark circles.

"May I join you?" He asked, with trepidation.

"Of course." She half smiled.

"So how have you been?" As soon as the words left his mouth he knew it was a stupid question. Looking at her, he could see she hadn't been sleeping, which meant she hadn't been good, but he didn't expect her to tell him the truth and the thought made his chest ache. They used to be so close. They used to be able to tell each other anything and now, as they sit across from each other in the very same booth Betty once shared her darkest of secrets, he felt like she was a total stranger.

"I've been good." She lied, wanting desperately to tell him the truth.

Without meaning to, Jughead let out an annoyed breath.

Betty shot him a look and he couldn't help but bite his lip in response.

"Betty." He was suddenly filled with a strong need to reach out and touch her. He felt so far from her and he didn't know how much longer he could take it.

"Jughead." Betty's tone was harsher then she meant and she noticed him flinch at her words.

Without thinking he reached out for her hands. She pulled away but not before he felt the crescent moon shaped cuts on her palms.

"Betty..."

"Don't even Jughead."

"I don't know what to say. Please talk to me."

Betty's eyes were starting to water and Jughead had to fight back the urge to reach out for her again.

"Talk to you about what Jughead? About the nightmares? The ones where I'm burying Archie alive again? Or the ones where the Black Hood is still alive and he's killed my family? Or how about the worst ones of all. The nightmares where I reach out for you and you just aren't there." Grabbing her bag next to her she started to get up. "I've gotta go." She couldn't stay here. Sitting across from him was just too much.

 Jughead jumped up to follow her out of Pop's. "Betty wait.... Betty... Jesus christ Betty fucking stop!" He yelled out to her, louder then he meant, but she stopped.

"Why? So you can tell me for the 100th time why we can't be together? How you're trying to "protect me"?" Betty could feel herself shaking, but it wasn't from the cold. It had been at least 5 nights since she was able to sleep and it was all just too much for her.

"You know, when you broke up with me to protect me from the black hood I never once questioned you did I?"

"He was threatening your life Jughead!" She yelled.

"And Penny Peabody was threatening yours!" He yelled back, ripping his crown beanie from his head and running his fingers through his hair. "God Betty. Why can't you see that I did this for your own good? This isn't just some psycho who's threatening you. It's a whole life that I'm in that... "

"That you don't want me to be a part of." Betty cut him off. "You don't want me to be a part of your life."

"No! It has nothing to do with me not wanting you to be a part of my life. I just, I want to keep you safe, and good and after watching you do that, that fucking Serpent dance I just knew..."

"You just knew what Jughead?"

"I just knew I didn't deserve you." He finally admitted. Hearing the words leave his mouth he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. It was the truth. After everything that has happened, running the gauntlet, kissing Toni, delivering drugs for Penny, and then what he did to Penny, he just knew that ultimately, he didn't deserve Betty.

"Jughead, you don't get to decide whether or not you deserve me. I'm not some, some prize to be won and I'm, I'm not as good as you think I am." Betty pleaded. Flashes of her and Archie in her car come to her mind and she has close her eyes tight to will them away.

"Compared to me you're an angel Betty. You have no idea..." He paused. He couldn't tell her everything but he had to. "You have no idea the things that I've done since I've run the gauntlet for the Serpents."

"So tell me." She said flatly.

They were standing in the middle of Pop's parking lot. Taking a deep breath, he looked around, realizing this probably wasn't the best place to do this.

"Fine, lets go." He said walking toward his bike.

"Let's go? Let's go where Jughead?" Betty followed him, not knowing if she was making the right decision.

"You want me to tell you everything, well I can't do it standing here in the middle of the parking lot. My dad won't be home tonight, we can go to the trailer and talk." He said as he mounted his bike, handing Betty her helmet.

She took it, noticing the fact that he still carried it with him even though she hadn't been on his bike in weeks. She climbed on the back and wrapped her arms around his waist like she had so many times before. As he pulled out of Pops, Betty decided to let herself get lost in this moment, knowing it could very well be the last one they have together.

Jughead rode slower than usual, choosing to take the long way to his trailer. Feeling Betty's arms wrapped around his waist was enough to make him completely forget why they shouldn't be together. If he wasn't careful, he could get lost in this moment and just keep driving.

Stepping inside the trailer Betty noticed the typewriter on the kitchen table and walked over to it.

"I love it Betty. It's the perfect gift." Jughead watched as she ran her fingers lightly over the keys. He hadn't noticed he was holding his breath until she looked up at him, with the same look in her eyes she had the night they said I love you.

"Thank you for the book Juggie. I was going to text you but..." She stopped.

"It's okay."

They stood there in silence for what felt like eternity. Jughead pondered over what to tell her first. Should he tell her about kissing Toni? Maybe he should start with dealing the drugs for Penny. Before he could decide Betty spoke, interrupting his thoughts.

"I kissed Archie." She couldn't hold it in any longer. It had been on the tip of her tongue since Jughead sat across form her at Pop's and knowing that this might be the last time they talk she just had to say it.

Jughead stared at Betty with disbelief. Did he hear her correctly?

"You what?" He asked, closing the space between them.

"I.. I kissed Archie.. In my car." She answered, instinctively stepping back as he approached her.

"When?"

"The night we found out who the black hood was. We had just talked to Nana Rose and... and I was scared and I just..."

"You were scared so you kissed Archie?!" Jughead's voice was louder then he intended but he didn't care. This felt like a knife to his chest. Deep down he knew he really had no right, considering he spent the night Toni and still hadn't told her, but he couldn't help the anger that was boiling.

"It didn't mean anything Jughead. I was confused and you weren't talking to me."

"I'm gonna fucking kill him." He spat as he turned around grabbing his Serpent jacket before heading toward the door.

"Jughead where are you going?"

"To kill Archie, where else?"

Betty grabbed his arm, wedging herself between him and the door. Aside from the bike ride earlier, this was the closest they had been in weeks and she couldn't help but notice how her body seemed to stand on edge with him so close.

"He didn't kiss me, I kissed him!" She said again.

Jughead let the words sink in. He wasn't sure if hurt more or less, knowing it was Betty who initiated it, but it didn't matter.

"God damnit it Betty!" He threw his jacket down, sat on the couch, and put his head in his hands. "I.. I kind of made out with Toni."

"Excuse me?" Betty felt her heart drop to her stomach. "When did you kind of make out with Toni?"

"The night I ran the gauntlet. Archie had come by earlier and told me you wanted to break up. I thought you... " He couldn't finish his sentence. Remembering how it felt having Archie be the one to tell him Betty no longer wanted to be with him, especially now, he just couldn't relive that again.

Betty jaw dropped. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Making no attempt to stifle her anger she curdled her hands into the tightest fists she could.

"So, while I was in my room agonizing over the fact that I had to end our relationship or some pyscho serial killer was going to kill you, you were, what, here making out with fucking Toni!?" She was full on crying at the point unable to control it. How had they gotten to this point?

"Betty it wasn't like that. She was just... I thought I..." Jughead pleaded, standing up.

"Do you like her Jughead?" Betty had to know.

"I did. At least I thought I did." He ran his fingers through wanting to think of how he should word what he was trying to say. "I was intrigued by Toni. She lives a life very similar to mine and it was nice to have that in common with someone. I think was just confused."

As much as Betty didn't want to, she understood that. It was why she wanted to do the Serpent dance in the first place.

"Do you like Archie?" Jughead wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer, but he had to ask.

"No. Not in that way. Not even a little." Betty answered without hesitation. This was the one thing she was absolutely sure of. From the moment her lips touched his she knew it was a huge mistake.

"What about Archie?" Jughead closed his eyes not wanting to be here talking about this.

"What about him?"

"How does he feel? Does he... have feelings for you?"

Betty snorted. "Considering the look he gave me after I kissed him, I'm going to go with no. He's back with Veronica actually. I'm really happy they could work everything out. I wish..." She stopped herself. She wished they could work everything out but she knew it wasn't possible. Especially now.

Jughead let himself fall back onto the couch. Leaning his head back he sighed. "How did we get here Betts? It seems like it was just yesterday that we were standing in this trailer saying I love you and now..."

"Now we can hardly look at each other without wincing. I don't know Jug, but..." Betty decided to take a chance. She walked over to the other side of the couch and sat next to Jughead, taking his hand in hers. "I'd give anything in this whole world to get back there."

Jughead looked down at Betty's hand in his. Turning it over, he traced the fresh crescent moon shaped cuts on her palm with his index finger. All he wanted was for Betty to be happy and safe, and clearly that wasn't happening. Without thinking, he slowly brought her hand to his mouth, and kissed her knuckles.

Hearing her breath hitch he looked up at her. She was biting her lip while tears ran down her face. It was finally clear. Pushing Betty away wasn't keeping her happy, and with Penny out of the picture, the Black Hood dead, and him standing as the leader of the younger Serpents, as long as she was with him, she'd be safe. With that he reached up for her face and kissed her.

Feeling his lips on hers for the first time in weeks Betty's stomach jumped. She entwined her fingers in his hair and kissed him like it would be their last. The tears continued to spill from her eyes but she didn't care. His hands had made their way to her lower back, underneath her t-shirt and her whole body felt alive like it never had before.

"Betty wait..." Jughead pulled away from her. He knew he had to tell her everything else before they could continue. Placing his forehead against hers he said, "I want to keep going, god do I want to. But before we do, I have to tell you the rest. I need you to know everything so you can make the choice. You want it to be your choice, then it will be, but you have to know everything first."

"There's nothing you could tell me that will make me not love you Jug."

"But it might make you not want to be with me."

Betty bit her lip. As much as she wanted to keep kissing him, she also wanted there to be no more secrets between them.

Holding her hand through it all, Jughead told her everything. He told her about running the gauntlet and what happened with Toni that night. He wiped the tear form her face as he promised her that was over and there were absolutely no lingering feelings, on either side. He shared with her how he and Archie delivered the drugs for Penny after she lied and said his dad had gotten hurt in jail. And finally, he told her about what he'd done to Penny. That after she'd threatened Betty, after she dragged his dad back into the Serpent life, he just knew that he had to do something.

"I'm not proud of it Betty. It was as if I wasn't me when I was doing it. I was someone else."

"Like when I almost drowned Chuck." Betty looked at Jughead. She loved this man, regardless of all of his flaws, or whatever he had done. She loved him.

"I love you Jughead Jones and nothing you say or do will ever change that."

"I love you Betty Cooper."

They held each other on the couch until they both fell asleep. This was the beginning of forever, of ride or die, Romeo and Juliet.


End file.
